Final days in Barrow, Alaska

Today was our last day in Barrow. It was the first time Caleb saw the sun in over 3 months and the first time I saw it in 5 weeks. We were greeted with a beautiful sunrise this morning. We went for a walk so I could stand on the frozen ocean and to look for polar bears. We have to come back again because we had no luck in seeing any polar bears.

Standing on the frozen ocean! Technically, this is the Chukchi Sea and it flows into the Arctic Ocean.

I loved the light out across the ocean from the rising sun. Caleb is out on the ocean facing northwest. 

We are continuing our winter theme in our travels. Caleb has signed a contract in Grand Forks, North Dakota! We are excited as this is one part of the country neither of us have been to.

It's been interesting to hear how many other people from warm southern states are working here in the frozen Arctic. He's worked with people who have called home - Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Arizona. One of the guys Caleb worked with in the ER made us an incredible cake. It was one of the best things we've eaten here.  Thanks, Colton!

When people ask what the highlight was while in Barrow, I really want to say "walking around town." That might sound uninteresting, but each time we went for a walk it was an experience all in itself. Some times we would walking in a sparkling winter wonderland. One time we walked in really strong winds making the wind chill temp -50 and we had to make sure no skin was exposed so we wouldn't get frostbite on our half hour walk. Other times we would get to see locals zipping by on their snowmachines across the frozen lagoons.

One night it was really foggy outside and we went out for a walk to take pictures. Pretty fascinating things happen when it is foggy in sub zero temperatures as I've written about in another post.

We both love winter weather and don't mind the cold. We truly believe the saying is true "There is no bad weather only bad clothing." I have heard that quoted in Colorado in the winter and it rings true in Barrow. I'm thinking of some family and friends shaking their heads at this because they hate the cold and snow. Hi, David! Hi, Sarah Cash! (the two people I know who are the most vocal about not liking the cold and snow). Our insulated pants, shoes, and coat make all the difference in the subzero temperatures [to the point where we were sweating on some of our walks because we were so well insulated.]

If you look at a globe or Google satellite image and find Barrow on the northern part of Alaska, you'll see how far north it rests on the earth. Barrow's latitude is about 71 degrees North and the North Pole is 90 degrees North. 

A couple days ago I was out for a walk and came across this yard with "palm trees." This caught me off guard because trees don't grow in Barrow. After a few seconds, I realized they were made out of a whale's baleen. In many buildings in town, you'll see baleen hanging on the walls which have been turned into artwork pieces with drawings on them. This was a clever idea for an artistic piece and to give the visual appearance of trees.

All around town vehicles are kept running with no one in them. It's better to keep the engine running than trying to start it again on the extra cold days. It would be hard, nearly impossible, to get away with stealing a car. All roads even the ones that head a little out of town dead-end. There aren't any roads to drive to or out from Barrow in a regular vehicle. You have to fly to get here or use a snowmobile or 4wheeler to go across the tundra. If a car is stolen chances are really good the police are going to find it in this small town. This picture below shows the plugs for the cars. I know many readers in northern states will be familiar with this, but my South Carolina readers may have never heard of this.

I write this as our farewell from Barrow. We head home to Colorado tonight. Maybe we will be back some day when we are longing for the Arctic again. I can't think of another place in America like Barrow except for the other remote villages on the Arctic north slope of Alaska. We are so thankful for this unique experience.